With the new Congress seated, Republicans are preparing to control the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the presidency and to push an aggressive policy agenda in 2025. Given their razor thin majorities in the House and Senate, the road to policy change in Congress will likely take a familiar path: the budget reconciliation process. Unlike regular order legislation, which requires a majority in the House and a filibuster-proof majority of 60 votes in the Senate, budget reconciliation bills can be passed with only 51 votes in the Senate, an appealing option given that Republicans hold only 53 Senate seats.
Budget reconciliation has been the vehicle of choice for sweeping legislation supported by a single party, including the Affordable Care Act (passed by Democrats in 2010), the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (passed by Republicans in 2017), and the Inflation Reduction Act (passed by Democrats in 2022). However, it comes with a host of rules that limits the types of provisions that can be included. Read on to learn more about budget reconciliation and how Republicans may try to use this process to enact sweeping changes to key health programs.
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